Clinical efficiency of aerobic exercises in the young patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus

P.O. Goldobin, D.V. Shorikova

Abstract

Background. The purposeof the study istoinvestigate the effect of regular aerobic physical exercises with 6-point intensity by Borg scale on glycemic profile, insulin sensitivity, and quality of life of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM). Materials and methods.The data from 42 patients with type 1 DM were analyzed. There were 20 women and 22 men aged 18 to 35 years (mean age 25.3 ± 7.9 years). The level of glycemia and glycated hemoglobin was estimated. The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life. Results. It has been shown that aerobic exercises can significantly modify the clinical course of type 1 DM and change the quality of life. After 30 days of regular aerobic exercises, the mean daily dose of ultra-short-acting insulin was decreased by 25.4 % versus baseline (p < 0.05). It was found that sensitivity to insulin after regular aerobic exercises was increased by 42.0 % and became 0.60 U per 1 bread unit (BU) by the end of the observation versus 1.03 U per 1 BU before the study. Also, regular physical activity was associated with the decrease in glycated hemoglobin content by 1.5 %. It has been established that regular aerobic exercises contri­buted to the significant (p < 0.05) increase in the quality of life according to all the scales which form physical and psychological components of health (physical functioning, role-physical functioning, bodily pain, general health, role-emotional functioning, vitality, mental health, social functioning) versus baseline that was accompanied by increase in emotional stability and workability. Conclusions.Regular aerobic exercises had the positive impact on the clinical symptoms of type 1 DM, resulted in improved glycemic profile, increased insulin sensitivity and quality of life of patients.